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Pay-as-you-go grids for all: Europe says you're worth it
'Big business, we're looking at you'

By Jo Best

Published: Wednesday 01 June 2005

Pay-as-you use grids available to everyone in Europe with a computer or PDA could be on their way.

The European Commission, which currently spends €130m per year on grid funding, has called for member state governments and businesses to co-operate in pushing grid forward, aiming for a future where everyone can access grid's computing power.

To help boost take-up and learning about grid, EU researchers will now pool their expertise in a single research area. The Commission hopes to see Europe move towards a unified grid body, where all grid planning, strategy and research will be overseen by a central body.

The first step towards the move for global grid dominance will be the creation of GridCoord, a scheme which will do exactly what it says on the tin and co-ordinate international grid research efforts in 11 member states.

The Commission will also be putting its hand in its pocket to achieve its dream, with its research budget for the upcoming seventh framework programme on tech development and research set to double to €7bn over five years.

Announcing the grid action plan, Viviane Reding, member of the EC responsible for information society and media, said: "We stand on the edge of what could be another major technological revolution. By making colossal processing power on-demand widely available, grid technologies raises for society and industry the prospect of solving problems never previously imagined."

Reding also called for industry to get involved in turning Europe into a grid leader.

"While Europe may be strong on grid research, commercial exploitation of its research results can still be strengthened," she said. "A key vehicle for building on this are public-private partnerships which can help accelerate deployment of ICT-based services - including grid services in ways that bring practical benefits to European citizens while raising the pace of innovation."

Reding added that partnerships would help in "aligning business agendas with research agenda with a view to addressing the requirements of end users, particularly SMEs".

SMEs in particular are, and will be, one of the key beneficiaries of grid, Reding said, as it allows those companies with a reduced IT budget to access high-end infrastructures without having to make any large investments up front.

Reding said that, while grids may be immature, they are already giving early adopters "clear benefits". "The challenge now facing grids at this stage of their innovation cycle is to ensure that compelling and imaginative business cases are developed."

Analysts have already found there's a groundswell of commercial interests. Research firm IDC predicted that the grid market will be worth $12bn by 2007.

The EU itself has already financed a number of grid projects and recently contributed €52m towards 12 separate grid ventures.